AFRICAN NEWS FLASH

Tinubu Atiku Akande Ortega Nwobodo Kwankwaso Oshiomohle El-Rufai Okorocha Tinubu, Atiku, Akande, Ortega, Nwobodo, Kwankwaso, Wamakko, Baraje, Oshiomhole, Ribadu, El-Rufai, Okorocha, Abraham, Ogiemwonyi, Almakura, Faleke, Aregbosola  on the list.

President Buhari has sacked the NTDC's director general Sally Mbanefo. The removal of the Chief Executive was contained in a November 27, 2016 letter which was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir David Lawal.           Sally Mbanefo NTDC's DG.   The letter was titled “Notification of de-secondment from the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC). “I refer to the attached letter, Ref. No. SGF.6/S.23/1/568 of 8th October, 2013 in respect of your secondment from the Keystone Bank Limited to serve as Executive Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) for a period of two years with effect from 6th May 2013. “You may note from the foregoing that the period of your secondment at the corporation had since lapsed on 5th May 2016. “Consequently, you are to handover the affairs of the corporation to the most senior officer on or before Wednesday, 30th November, 2016....

Engineer Segun Oni Senator Lawal Shuaibu. Mallam Ibrahim Bala Gubi Orji Ugofa Akinyelure Pius Oloye Barr Inuwa Abdulkadir Zakari Abdullahi Ede Bala Mohammed Gwagwaruwa Abubakar Lado Suleija Alhaji Tajudeen Olaitan Bello Hon. Sunday Chukwu Dika umaru Lada Mr Jock Alamba Comrade Timi Frank. Mr Muiz Banire Senator Osita Izunaso Alhaji Suleiman Manko Hunkuyi Hajia Ramatu Tijani Helen Chika Adike George moghalu Barr Oputa Ado Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo. Paul Chukwuma Mr Tempe Adigwe Shehu Marshal Michael Tanko Adedotun Olwasegun. Mrs Helen Ojukwu Fatima Danjuma Emmanuel Eneukwu Engr. Bibi Lawal. More list coming. All APC members of NWC on the list except the National chairman and the former National publicity secretary who is now the minister of information. Lai Mohammed. 

Around a year ago, Nigeria’s mobile internet subscriber base had nearly hit at a landmark figure: 100 million. But, due to unfavorable government policies, that trend is likely to be reversed. Last year, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country’s telecoms regulator earned praise for deregulating data prices. The removal of a data floor price allowed local telcos to set lower mobile data prices making them cheaper than ever before and enabling more Nigerians access to the internet. But, in a surprising move, the NCC has reinstated its data floor price, forcing telcos to jack prices back up. In a letter sent to telcos, the NCC claims the price increase is necessary “in order to provide a level playing field for all operators in the industry.” The prices will take effect from Dec. 1. RAISING THE FLOORNigeria’s telcos are being forced to increase mobile internet prices Yomi Kazeem  2 hours ago Quartz Afri...

Kickoff was set for Wednesday night. Chapecoense, a Brazilian soccer team representing the city's 200,000 residents, would take the field in Medellin against Colombian club Atlético Nacional in the first leg of the Copa Sudamerica final. By now, most of the world knows how this story ends. The chartered Avro RJ85 flying the team, its coaches and guests crashed, killing more than 70 on board.

The ex-minister, who returned to Nigeria last month after spending about 15 months in the United States, was accused of receiving N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). Obanikoro had said in his statement of oath at the EFCC that after receiving the money in 2014, he gave N1.219bn to the then governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, while N1.3bn was given to the PDP candidate in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore. He also confessed to giving Fayose a separate $5.377m at Spotless Hotel in Ekiti State in the presence of party leaders, including the then PDP Secretary, Mr. Tope Aluko. Obanikoro was said to have kept about N785m for himself, which he allegedly spent while campaigning ahead of the PDP governorship primary in Lagos State. Mr. Jimi Agbaje won the primary. However, the EFCC asked Obanikoro to return about N584m out of which he had already ret...

Jolted by the sophistication and employment of high technical skills in their actions, President Muhammadu Buhari has feared that those blowing up pipelines were not ordinary Nigerians. The President who was in doubt about the sophistry of the perpetrators felt that the militants were getting help from highly skilled engineering personnel who were inclined to using their skills negatively. According to him, going into the sea for almost 70 kilometres to blow pipelines with ease were not ordinary. The President spoke, Tuesday, after his investiture as the Grand Patron of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), led by its President, Mrs. Joanna Maduka, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said: “If I will go in the negative side, ‎how can an ordinary Nigerian go into the sea, 70 kilometres or more, go down two meters and blow up oil installations that cannot be an ordinary Nigerian. President Buhari however stated that his administration would utilize talents and skills o...

A group saddled with advocacy for Advancement, Development and sustenance of Democracy in Nigeria, Wailing Wailers, has, Tuesday, asked the Federal Government, the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, and Telecommunication companies to abort the planned increment of tariff on data services in the country. In a statement signed by its Ag, Usman Abubakar, it warned that such planned action would lead to rape of democracy and freedom of speech. “Our attention has been drawn to the sinister siege on the Nigerian people and plot against their interest by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This plot, led by President Muhammadu Buhari is being executed by one of the government’s agencies, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) who reportedly, has directed all the telecommunication companies in the country to increase their DATA Services Tariff by 200%. If this is allowed to work, 1.5 Gig which presently costs N1,000.00, will then go for N3,000.00, meaning an extra N2,000.00....

- CBN NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM AND BOARD TO BE ANNOUNCED AFTER BUDGET PRESENTATION. - CABINET SHAKE-UP TOO President Muhammadu Buhari will present budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 6. Sources told us that Buhari's budget presentation will follow the approval of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2016 to 2018 by the two chambers of the federal legislature this week. Buhari and his team, it was gathered, have concluded arrangement for the budget to be presented on that day. Ahead of the presentation, a team from the executive arm will on Thursday meet the leadership of the legislature to conclude arrangement and agree on the matter, it was further gathered. Our correspondent reports that Buhari presented the 2016 budget estimates to the National Assembly on December 22 last year, the day the federal legislators proceeded on their Christmas and New year break.     However, the new management team and the board of the Central Bank...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday assured that his administration’s reforms would ensure that Nigerians who spent the “productive years of their lives serving the nation” would not experience difficulties in getting their pensions. A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said Buhari gave the assurance at a meeting with Sharon Ikeazor, the Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) at the State House, Abuja. The statement said the President directed a speedy completion of the ongoing nationwide verification of pensioners. “President Buhari stressed that the exercise was necessary because the success of the administration’s goal of putting in place an efficient pension scheme hinged on the availability of a reliable database.” In a presentation to the President, Ikeazor said the PTAD management was determined to restore dignity to pensioners by protecti...

– The Nigerian Senate has embarrassed the presidency with a rather strange decision – The Senate dropped a nominee of President Muhammadu Buhari already cleared twelve days ago – The nominee is Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla A report by our source indicates that the Nigerian Senate has dropped a nominee for the post of a non-executive commissioner on the governing board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), after clearing him. The nominee, Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla from Cross River state was one of the nominees sent to the upper chamber by President Muhammadu Buhari before the Senate made a dramatic turn.

Ondo Election; AKURE—WITH 244,842 votes, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was, yesterday, declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the winner of Saturday’s governorship election. According to the results announced by Prof. Abdul-Ganiyu Ambali, the INEC Chief Returning Officer, he won with  a margin of 94,462 votes, spaking off protests from rival political parties. Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, the peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, his closest challenger had 150,380 votes. The Alliance for Democracy standard bearer, Olusola Oke, garnered 126,889 votes to come third, while Dr. Olu Agunloye of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, got  10,149 votes. Ambali gave the total number of valid votes  to be 551,272 votes, rejected votes 29,615 and total number of votes cast as 580,887. The council areas won by Akeredolu included the two strongholds of Jegede – Akure South and Akure North; Ifedore, the cou...

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) who is yet to declared winner of the Ondo governorship election by INEC has sad that his ‘victory is of God through the people’ Ondo has decided and I am humbled that my people chose me. Our time to Think Anew and Act Anew has come. Thank You Ondo State.” Ondo has decided and I am humbled that my people chose me. Our time to Think Anew and Act Anew has come. Thank You Ondo State. “I wish to express my profound gratitude, first, to the Almighty God whose infinite grace has allowed us to see this day.’’ “ This victory is of God through the people. It is not for me or the APC alone, it is a victory for the people of Ondo state irrespective of which side of the divide you stood during the election. “For me it is a challenge to perform. It is a call to rescue our state and reverse its fortunes.’’ He thanked the people of the state for their steadfastness. “I have heard their messages throughout the campa...

Buhari appoints all NWC members into Federal Boards. Details shortly.

The intrigues, the politics.   - Why south south will retain the position of governor. - Why south east will get the position of Chairman of board. - Why the governor will not be chairman of the board. Reliable sources have confirmed that APC retaining power beyond 2019 is the main reason for a south-south nominee to replace the governor of the Central Bank. All the south south states is presently controlled by the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP) with the exception of Edo state. Inside source has confirmed to us that no service chief is from the South-East Nigeria and that's why the zone was given the position of Chairman of the Board of CBN to solve the issue of marginalization of the people from the zone ( south-east did not vote Buhari in 2015).     However, the president in order to fulfill the promises he made to international committee before his election, decided to stop the governor from been the Chairman of the board. There is no doubt t...

The death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro prompted celebrations among the country's exiles in Miami, expressions of sorrow from some world leaders, and measured responses from governments that never stopped seeing the devoted socialist as a threat. Within half an hour of the announcement Saturday of the 90-year-old revolutionary leader's death, cheers were heard in Miami's Little Havana. Thousands of people banged pots, waved Cuban flags and whooped in jubilation. "Cuba si! Castro no!" they chanted, while others screamed "Cuba libre!" U.S. President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter hours later to share a thought that proved pithy even for the medium: "Fidel Castro is dead!" However, Castro was honored and mourned by some present and former national leaders. "Free and independent Cuba, which he (Fidel Castro) and his allies built, became an influential member of the international community and became an inspiring example for many ...

Mr Eyitayo Jegede, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of flooding his constituency in Akure with malfunctioning card readers in order to stop his supporters from voting. Mr Jegede made the accusation after casting his vote at his polling unit in the Cathedral area of Akure, the Ondo state capital. He said he was glad that he was reinstated as a candidate but was unhappy that many of the card reader brought to his constituency in Akure were faulty. He said he was concerned why it was taking INEC so long to replace the malfunctioning card readers. He called on his supporter to stay on the queues and make sure they vote. He also called on them to escort their ballots until they are taken to the final collation centre.

The  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Jacobs, Abdulmalik Ibrahim and Dana Motors  on a 15-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of properties belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd. Led by the prosecution counsel, Mr Babatunde Sonoiki, told the court presided over by Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye how Akpan allegedly defrauded her of her shares in the company and other proceeds. She told the court thàt Akpan Jacobs who doubled as the company’s managing director and secretary had allegedly gone to the Corporate Affairs Commission where he altered the share arrangement in his favour. She alleged Akpan forged a company board resolution re-distributing the shares ownership and alloted 70 per cent to himself , 15 per cent to her and 15 per cent to Holmes. With the shares re-distribution, Akpan Jacobs was alleged to have fraudulently assumed full ownership of  THA Shipping  and subsequently sold a property w...

There are many ways to describe Lagos; metropolitan, unique, dynamic, the commercial centre of Nigeria and so on – but one characteristic that many people identify with this city is the “crazy traffic”. So, it was with glee and high expectations that Lagosians and Nigerians alike greeted the news that the Lagos state light rail would finally commence operations in December 2016 as stressed by the Governor of the state, Akinwummi Ambode, at a  forum  earlier in the year. The Lagos light rail project started as far back as 2006 and was scheduled to start service by the first quarter of 2014 after the contract was awarded in 2008, before a new timeline of 2016 for Phase I, yet it has been revealed by the Governor that the project will not commence as planned. Factors that have contributed to this delay have been attributed to cost, which is has raised a few eyebrows because the Lagos state government had insisted that it was committed to the project – a loan of $200 million ha...